1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate to an outboard motor having a water separating portion for preventing the ingress of water from the intake opening of an intake duct.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, there are inventions relating to an outboard motor, boat, or cowling that is equipped with a water separating portion to ensure that air sucked in from the outside into an internal combustion engine can be purified before reaching the opening of an intake duct and sucked in from the intake duct. In such an outboard motor, boat, or cowling, the water separating portion separates and removes water from the outside air as the air passes through the water separating portion, and thereafter air is passed into the internal combustion engine for combustion to thereby drive the internal combustion engine. Examples of such an outboard motor, boat, or cowling include those described in JP-A-2004-239156, JP-A-2002-114192, and JP-A-Hei 2-147496.
First, JP-A-2004-239156 describes as follows: “In an outboard motor, the direction of air flowing in from an outside-air intake port formed in a side air duct is changed to the transverse direction as the air passes through an air passage that is bent at some point. Thus, the air having moisture mixed therein is removed of moisture, and further, the direction of air flowing into a downstream-side intake chamber via a communication port is changed to the vertical direction to thereby separate moisture again, and the air from which moisture has been separated in two steps as described above is mixed with fuel.”
Further, JP-A-2002-114192 describes as follows: “In a boat, an intake system having an intake port is provided in front of an intake opening of an intake duct, and a water-repellent filter allowing passage of air but not allowing passage of water is arranged within the intake system, so that even when water ingresses from the intake port of the intake system, the ingress of water into the intake opening of the intake duct is prevented.”
Further, JP-A-Hei 2-147496 describes as follows: “A cowling of an outboard motor includes an air intake recess that is open laterally with respect to the propulsion direction, an intake duct portion provided upright with respect to the bottom surface of the air intake recess and having an intake port formed at its top portion, and a duct cover portion provided above the intake duct portion so as to surround the intake port of the intake duct portion, thereby making it possible to prevent the ingress of water into the cowling from the rear of the cowling or to prevent the ingress of water from the air intake recess in the tilt-up state.”